Burial: Tunes 2011-2019 review – transmissions from an alternate universe
The producer’s collected post-Untrue EPs reveal him as one of the most evocative voices in British music - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarAllison Moorer: Blood review – an aching, moving testimony
(Autotelic/Thirty Tigers) - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarLeonard Cohen: Thanks for the Dance review – a sublime final statement
This posthumous album finds the poet and singer on reflective, insightful, deadpan form, ‘settling accounts of the soul’ - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarSchubert Symphony No 9 review – high-octane and purringly smooth
Conductor Maxim Emelyanychev inspires the SCO in Schubert’s massive work, with grandeur and great washes of feeling - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarMichael Kiwanuka: Kiwanuka review – one of the greatest albums of the decade
The soulful singer’s third LP is timeless and contemporary at the same time, with shades of everything from What’s Going On to Screamadelica - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarLankum: The Livelong Day review – the Irish folk songbook uprooted
Folk standards get extreme makeovers on the Dublin four-piece’s latest, cementing their place at the forefront of the form - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarKim Gordon: No Home Record review – calling out culture with charisma, wit and menace
Gordon’s first solo album sees her skewer everything from harassment to fame - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarRichard Dawson: 2020 review – Britain's best, most humane songwriter
Dawson adds pop-facing elements to folk on this brilliant album, full of stories of a benighted Britain - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarNick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Ghosteen review – a heavenly haunting
In the first album wholly written since the death of his son, Cave reaches an extraordinary, sad and beautiful artistic evolution - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarThe Comet Is Coming: The Afterlife review – totally of the now
(Impulse) - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarPop. 1280: Way Station review – Proustian industrial rock
The Brooklyn outfit evoke a powerful mood with their pummelling drum machines, wailing synths and snarling vocals - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarRobin Hatch: Robin Hatch review – discover a new grammar for piano
For her third album this year, the Canadian composer continues to defy genres by creating a bold new grammar for piano - John Lewis
starstarstarstarstarBach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin review – period instruments add Tyrolean freshness
Separate period instruments – and baroque bows – for the partitas and sonatas add drama to Zehetmair’s immense subtlety - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarHannah Diamond: Reflections review – gloriously overwrought
(PC Music) - Michael Cragg
starstarstarstarstarAlison Rayner Quintet: Short Stories review – memories brought to life
(Blow the Fuse) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarMs Banks: The Coldest Winter Ever Pt 2 review – rising rapper has summery bounce
The south-east Londoner’s second album shifts from downbeat trap to euphoric afropop rhythms and steely playfulness - Aimee Cliff
starstarstarstarstarOmar Souleyman: Shlon review – the dabke-techno king is passionate as ever
The Syrian musician has released 500 records and now lives in exile in Turkey, but this short, sharp record shows an undimmed spirit - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarBeethoven: Leonore review – crisp, convincing Fidelio origin story
Petersen/Schmitt/Ivashchenko/Johannsen/Freiburg Baroque O/Jacobs (Harmonia Mundi, two CDs)Leonore was Beethoven’s first version of Fidelio and René Jacobs eloquently champions the earlier score in this lithe live recording - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarThe Who: Who review – back and still causing a big sensation
Despite their precarious relationship, Daltrey and Townshend return for their first album in 13 years, snarling at the Grenfell disaster and hoping for world peace - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarBeck: Hyperspace review – dewy, plush and on-trend
(EMI) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarHannah Diamond: Reflections review – trance-pop rescued from good taste
On these melancholy bangers, the PC Music singer uses nursery rhyme-like melodies and a girlish sing-song delivery to essay the pain of being lovelorn and vulnerable - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarMarius Neset: Viaduct review – voracious reinvention of jazz/classical borders
(ACT)The Norwegian saxophonist and composer continues to trailblaze, here combining forms with intensity and brilliance - John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarStockhausen: Kontakte review – the work emerges with startling immediacy
George Barton/Siwan Rhys (All That Dust, download only) Percussionist Barton and pianist Rhys’s binaural recording adds another dimension to Stockhausen’s textures and reveal his musical thinking - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarBonnie ‘Prince’ Billy: I Made a Place review – older, wiser and happier
(Domino) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarEchoes of Swing: Winter Days at Schloss Elmau review – delightful cold comfort
(ACT) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarArthur Russell: Iowa Dream review – lopsided, funky and staggeringly beautiful
This collection of unreleased tracks from the electronic pioneer is a treasure trove of Russell’s guileless, always melodic songs - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarShanti Celeste: Tangerine review – club music with subtlety and depth
The Bristolian DJ and producer’s nuanced debut is an enveloping listen, folding softer textures into its 2am beats - Aimee Cliff
starstarstarstarstarTindersticks: No Treasure But Hope review – more subdued loveliness
The band’s world is a compellingly strange, crepuscular place, into which some warmth is allowed to drip - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarSound Portraits from Bulgaria: A Journey to a Vanished World review – songs rescued from the edge of history
Martin Koenig’s wonderful collection, recorded in rural Bulgaria between 1966 and 1979, is quietly heroic - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarFKA twigs: Magdalene review – inner battles that will stay with you
(Young Turks) - Emily Mackay
starstarstarstarstarLizzo review – a joyful, slightly rude hug of a night out
The cult rapper woos 5,000 fans with a nimble mix of funk, pop and hip-hop - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarMoor Mother: Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes review – raging protest poetry
The activist and musician overlays stunning sound collages with furious verses laying bare the lie of post-racial America - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarLand of Kush: Sand Enigma review – the disorientating sound of Egypt
Sam Shalabi’s ambitious project offers up a heady mix of free jazz, Arabic classical, postpunk and panglobal folk music - John Lewis
starstarstarstarstarMarilyn Mazur, Fredrik Lundin, Kasper Bai: Maluba Orchestra review – prepare to be won over
(Stunt) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarUnderworld: Drift Series One: Sampler Edition review – a year’s worth of inspiration
(Caroline) - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarMiranda Lambert: Wildcard review – pithy life-lessons
The Tennessee star’s seventh album is a robustly entertaining set of droll country songs about men, booze and doing the laundry - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarSudan Archives: Athena review – electrifying and erudite neo-soul
The US singer and violinist’s debut album contains some of the most viscerally gorgeous music put to record this year - Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarJeff Lynne's ELO: From Out of Nowhere review – it's a pleasure to have him back
Lynne has come out of semi-retirement with an album of creamy harmonies and good-natured pop, firmly in the lineage of classic ELO - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarAntoinette Konan: Antoinette Konan review – ahoko master's vision of the future
This reissue of Konan’s 1986 debut sounds thoroughly modern in its combination of Ivory Coast and western instruments - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarScriabin: Complete Piano Sonatas review – Maltempo extends his reach
Vincenzo Maltempo (Piano Classics, two CDs)Scriabin’s enigmatic sonatas connect Romanticism and modernity, and Maltempo is in his element, if cool at times - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarGang Starr: One of the Best Yet review – rap duo stand tall beyond the grave
Though rapper Guru died in 2010, DJ Premier avoids the usual pitfalls of posthumous releases, deploying neat verses and brilliant production tricks - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarNeil Young and Crazy Horse: Colorado review – echoes of Ragged Glory
(Reprise) - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarJulia Hülsmann Quartet: Not Far from Here review – Bowie and Miles in the ECM ballpark
Inquisitively contemporary jazz from the cooly virtuosic composer-pianist gives the legendary ECM label another gem to see in its 50th anniversary - John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarAnna Meredith: Fibs review – genre-bending bolts from the blue
The brilliantly unpredictable composer is back making rollercoastering solo albums full of irreverent experiments and serious innovation - Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarCigarettes After Sex: Cry review – icky lyrics, lovely melodies
Staying firmly in his sweet spot, Greg Gonzalez repeats the autobiographical oversharing and the sheer ambient pop pleasure of the band’s first album - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarKing Princess: Cheap Queen review – hyped pop royal exposes her heart
Swapping queer pop anthems for understated ballads, Mikaela Straus’s debut deals in laid-back confessionals about crushes, loneliness and forbidden love - Aimee Cliff
starstarstarstarstarSchumann: Myrthen review – a torrent of warm and poetic songs
Christian Gerhaher, Gerold Huber and Camilla Tilling deliver bright and varied recordings of songs the composer wrote for his wife - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarFloating Points: Crush review – beauty out of chaos
(Ninja Tune) - Tara Joshi
starstarstarstarstarEthan Iverson Quartet: Common Practice review – outrageously logical
(ECM) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarCaroline Polachek: Pang review – pop that hits like a southpaw's hook
The ex-Chairlift singer gasps, yelps and croons through a well-written and melodious portrait of lust, romance and heartbreak - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarVagabon: Vagabon review – indie star is expansive yet intimate
Swapping crunching guitars for softer electronics, Laetitia Tamko’s second album is both sharp and tender - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarMark Lanegan Band: Somebody's Knocking review – surly rock pinup sees the fun side
Lanegan’s desolate croon gets its groove on, in this rocking, relatable 11th album - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarDame Ethel Smyth: Mass in D review – brick-throwing suffragette's sumptuous lost work
The BBCSO and Sakari Oramo give Smyth’s era-defying mass the grand recording it deserves, alongside the overture to her opera The Wreckers - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarBig Thief: Two Hands review – a more earthbound follow-up to UFOF
(4AD) - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarKim Gordon: No Home Record review – quite a feat
(Matador) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarBig Thief: Two Hands review – powerful and gritty grunge folk
This ‘earth twin’ album to their ‘celestial twin’ UFOF, released in May, foregrounds Adrianne Lenker’s arresting voice and tender/brutal lyrics - Aimee Cliff
starstarstarstarstarAlice Zawadzki: Within You Is a World of Spring review – vivid blend of Schubert, Spain and Stevie Wonder
The Anglo-Polish vocalist goes way beyond jazz on her second solo album, for a hymn to nature that masters many styles - John Lewis
starstarstarstarstarMorton Feldman: Piano review – connecting the dots on a modern master
Philip Thomas’s authoritative playing shows why Feldman’s keyboard music is some of the most important of the last century - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarElbow: Giants of All Sizes review – a rich vision of broken Britain
It’s a dislocated Elbow that you get on this proggy, restless record – but their sense of empathy is still strong - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarJohn Coltrane Quartet: Blue World review – fascinating lost sessions
(Impulse) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarRachid Taha: Je Suis Africain review – a rollicking posthumous release
(Naïve/Believe) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarWilco: Ode to Joy review – yet another winning set
(dBpm) - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarCamila Cabello: Romance review – giddy, frisky fun
(Epic/Syco) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarJeremy Warmsley: A Year review – genre-hopping folk-pop for all seasons
The London singer-songwriter – and one half of Summer Camp – released a new song per month during 2019, tracing the ups and downs of a relationship - Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarJack Peñate: After You review – expansive third album
(XL) - Tara Joshi
starstarstarstarstarStick in the Wheel: Against the Loathsome Beyond review – maximum innovation
(From Here) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarDoon Kanda: Labyrinth review – welcome to the haunted fun fair
The designer and musician makes his mark using synthetic-sounding instruments to produce his spooky electronics - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarJack Peñate: After You review – getting tastefully high
Back after 10 years, Peñate’s tuneful new songs are a literate, spiritual exploration of the soul, but it’s undoubtedly a bit beige - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarColdplay: Everyday Life review – uneasy listening
(Parlophone) - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarDavido: A Good Time review – Afrobeats-infused celebration
(RCA) - Tara Joshi
starstarstarstarstarBeck: Hyperspace review – Pharrell collaboration never achieves lift-off
In what would have seemed a dream teaming early last decade, Pharrell Williams helped produce Beck’s occasionally lovely but unambitious 14th album - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarColdplay: Everyday Life review – surefire hits and dodgy experiments
The band’s new double album mixes more of their melodically watertight stadium pop with dabblings in the genres they are least suited to dabble in - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarCéline Dion: Courage review – a quirky catharsis
(Columbia) - Michael Cragg
starstarstarstarstarPumarosa: Devastation review – brooding turbo-anguish
(Fiction) - Kate Hutchinson
starstarstarstarstarLil Peep: Everybody’s Everything review – posthumous chills and thrills
This variously sad, rocking and indifferent compilation sees the SoundCloud rapper mining a new theme: unrequited love - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarCéline Dion: Courage review – pushing on to a place beyond cool
A team of young, hip producers signals Dion’s newfound cult status, but it’s the wobbly-lipped ballads, not EDM, that she does like no one else - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarGirl Ray: Girl review – a north London version of Haim
(Moshi Moshi) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarSon of Town Hall: The Adventures of Son of Town Hall review – folk fun with a steampunk twist
(Self-released) - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarGirl Ray: Girl review – the great sound of a band getting pop wrong
The British trio have pivoted from jangly indie to pop, but the best bits of their second album lie in the spaces in between - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarMount Eerie with Julie Doiron: Lost Wisdom Pt 2 review – stark and heartbroken
A set of disconcertingly painful songs about the end of his first relationship after the death of his wife finds Phil Elverum at sea in sadness - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarKele: 2042 review – Okereke's most political work yet
The Bloc Party frontman’s fourth solo album mixes the intimate and personal with references to Grenfell and Windrush - Aimee Cliff
starstarstarstarstarEötvös: Halleluja; Alle Vittime Senza Nome review – unconventional and current
Vermilion/Lehtipuu/Brandt/WDR Choir & SO/Eötvös/Santa Cecilia O/Pappano (Wergo)Eötvös’s oratorio, though influenced by the story and music of a medieval monk, is in reality a wry take on modern’s life’s babble - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarFKA twigs: Magdalene review – stifled perfection from pop's poledancing swordfighter
Tahliah Barnett moves further into abstraction on this personal, painstaking and wildly adventurous record - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarMichael Kiwanuka: Kiwanuka review – retro soul with an Afrocentric air
(Polydor) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarLakou Mizik: HaitiaNola review – a Caribbean-Creole melting pot
(Cumbancha) - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarRex Orange County: Pony review – jaunty and engaging
(Sony) - Tara Joshi
starstarstarstarstarSudan Archives: Athena review – Afro futurism goes mainstream
(Stones Throw) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarRex Orange County: Pony review – chatty raps of a heart-bruised softboi
The 21-year-old singer-songwriter lays out his struggles with commitment and fake friends over hip-hop inflected nerdy piano pop - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarNeil Young and Crazy Horse: Colorado review – a direct, disgruntled din
Deeply personal ballads and the incredible potency of his band elevate Young’s 39th album above his painfully on-the-nose political messaging - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarCaroline Polachek: Pang review – lush, ultra-modern ecstasy
(Columbia) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarWretch 32: Upon Reflection review – UK rap hero searches soul
The rapper’s fifth album deals with gender and mental health issues, and with a refreshing new musical looseness - Aimee Cliff
starstarstarstarstarFoals – Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Part 2 review – grandiose designs
What promised to be the state-of-the-nation address to top all other state-of-the-nation addresses turns out to be merely a solid, rifftastic arena rock album - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarMaz O’Connor: Chosen Daughter review – fine, female-focused folk
(Restless Head/Hudson) - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarBabymetal: Metal Galaxy review – kawaii metal originators deliver clashy opus
The band’s third, and possibly best, album combines their familiar sugary pop melodies mashed with thrashing metal - Dean Van Nguyen
starstarstarstarstarAngel Olsen: All Mirrors review – a little lost in the operatic mix
(Jagjaguwar) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarCamila Cabello: Romance review – so-so songs for pop’s perfect love story
The singer’s second solo album is too heavy on the Auto-Tune, giving cyborg sheen to what should be heartfelt love songs - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarThe Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show review – old-fashioned festive schmaltz
Apart from a blockbuster duet with Lana Del Rey, there are no new musical ideas on this twangy Amazon Prime Video special and soundtrack - Dean Van Nguyen
starstarstarstarstarRobbie Williams: The Christmas Present review – perfect for regifting
Robbie does his full Rat Pack tribute act on a bunch of seasonal standards, and throws in some bonkers Christmas bonus songs of his own - Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarKanye West: Jesus Is King review – rap genius can't see the light
Undercooked tracks on this gospel album don’t delve deep enough into West’s spiritual enlightenment - Dean Van Nguyen
starstarstarstarstarLiam Payne: LP1 review – beware! Former 1D member on the prowl
One Direction’s Mr Boring lets his inner sexual piranha loose – with frightening results - Laura Snapes
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